Michael looked down into her eyes and then at the blood soaked dressing on his shoulder. “Yes it will hurt a bit, but I won’t have to worry about getting an infection or my wound continuing to opening up and me bleeding to death. After breakfast and a shot of Morphine, we’ll heat the knife on the stove and get this wound closed.”

At the mention of the beach, Michael remembered being on a West Coast beach, Coronado Beach in California. It was one of the places he trained to be a SEAL. He had survived a long difficult training program with his class and it was his graduation program. An officer was pinning his Trident on his uniform and shaking his hand. Great job, Michael! You were top of your class and SEAL Team 6 will be picking you up for unit training in the morning. Get some rest and don’t celebrate getting old Budweiser too much. He tapped the Trident that he had just placed on his uniform. They’ll start working your ass out hard right after they pick you up. Be ready for anything, Michael. You are a SEAL now!

He shifted his weight so that he was facing her more. “Ally,we only have a couple of days left on the boat and then we will head to Sven’s. I need you to work on trusting me more and being more comfortable with me. You are a beautiful lady and I can’t say that I don’t have feelings for you. Afterall you saved my life as much as I saved yours. You can’t go through what we have and not feel something. But I swear to you, I won’t hurt you in anyway or make move to even kiss you until you tell me it’s alright. If something ever does even start to bother you and you want to stop, just say “Budweiser” and I’ll stop. Promise, Ally?” He looked at her with compassion in his eyes and then closed his eyes, hoping he hadn’t said too much.

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Ally felt even smaller and more vulnerable as he repositioned himself, making his muscular body tower over her. If it wasn't for his arm around her she might have bolted. And then he started talking and making it worse. Her breathing quickened slightly. What was he saying? He couldn't have feelings for her, the mention of kissing was enough to make the fear demon rise up in the pit of her stomach and grip her heart. She couldn't take it, he had her pinned against the wall, his plan the whole time? She'd been stupid enough to believe he wouldn't touch her like that and now he was saying he wanted to.

She scrambled out of his arms and over his legs to get out of the bunk, tripping in the process and going down to her knees on the floor. Her flight instinct was overriding everything else, she got up and unlocked the door, bolting fown the passage to the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it behind her. She was panting hard and she sank down, wrapping her arms around her knees. In a few sentences Michael had ruined everything, he pushed her too far too fast and now she never wanted him to touch her. The thought of being alone with him knowing his desires was terrifying, she wanted to hide forever.

Michael’s eyes were torn open by the immense pain shooting through his shoulder as Ally pushed past him, flexing his shoulder back behind him. “Shit, Fuck, Damn!” In his pain fog, he saw her dart out the door and into the passageway. The trickle down his shoulder, became a flood of warm red, soaking his shirt and down to the bedding. Michael tried to get up, but the room was spinning and his focus was fading. He Cried out Ally’s name over and over. When Sven came into the room, Michael refused to let him touch him until Ally was back in the room. He was fighting the crew members that tried to help him and continuing to scream. “Ally, I am sorry… I am so sorry I scared you!” He repeated it over and over before the room went completely dark.

Michael slowly opened his eyes and tried to assess his surroundings… He was laying in a bed and they were not moving. He felt the warmth of the sunshine , along with a warm breeze blowing through the air. He could smell the grass and flowers in the air and heard the birds singing. He opened his eyes to see stark white walls with flowers in a vase on the table next to the bed. A bag of IV fluids, were connected to his arm. He tried to get up but his head spun. A woman’s voice said “Luta sig tillbaka, nu!” He did as he was told and laid back down, immediately. He looked up to see a blonde haired blue eyed, middle aged lady staring back at him.

Inside he was panicking that he might never see her again, that he had scared her way with his careless profession of his developing feelings for her. But instead he growled back at her in Swedish, “Vad har du gjort med Ally? Jag kommer att döda dig om du har sårat henne!” (What have you done with Ally? I will kill you if you have hurt her!”

Michael was looking around the room for a weapon to use on her if her had to resort to fighting. He saw a scalpel laying on a tray near by and sprang out of bed , grabbed the scalpel and had it to her throat, before she could answer. “Vad har du gjort med Ally?!?”

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Ally was sitting on the porch swing of the little red cabin when she heard the commotion. She ran to Michael's room and saw him about to kill Elise. She was enraged that he would do such a thing. Sven had kept him knocked out for the last couple of days on board the boat after Ally assured him she didn't think he was trying to hurt her but he'd scared her. Sven lovingly offered to dump Michael overboard if Ally requested but she refused. Things resumed normally after he was put under.

It was Sven's older sister Elise caring for Michael now that they were on land. In a week's time she had become like an aunt to Ally. She brought her some of her daughter's old clothes to wear and tried to teach her how to cook and speak some Swedish. Elise was a nurse on holiday, staying in the cabin across the meadow. And now Michael was holding a knife to Ally's companion's throat.

"Michael no! How dare you!" Ally rushed to his side and pulled his arm away from Elise. She hit his solid chest hard with the open palm of her hand, this wasn't the fearful Ally he had known before. A week in the sunshine with Elise had done her a world of good and she had probably gained 15lbs since Michael had taken her off the yacht a month ago.

"Let go Michael," her voice was soft but forceful. Her eyes blazing in anger.

Michael stood there half dazed as he watched Ally enter the room in a furry. Her blow to his chest brought him back out of the fog. He let go of the blonde lady and the scalpel and fell backwards on the bed. “I thought I’d never see you again. I thought that they had come back and taken you away. I thought that you hated me for telling you those things on the ship, that you’d never forgive me…” He looked up at the beautiful lady that stood over him with a renewed spark for life inside her. “I’m sorry, Ally. I didn’t mean to scare you, it’s just that I owe you my life… Twice now, apparently,”

He looked over at the blonde lady. “Jag är ledsen om jag sårade dig.” (I am sorry if I hurt you.) Michael put his head down to keep the blackness from returning. He would have told Ally how fantastic she looked and that she was even more beautiful with her curves filled out, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He softly utter one word, “Budweiser.”

He would keep all this bottled up inside him from now on! It was time for Michael to concentrate on figuring out who exactly he was and how they could get a hold of some resource. It was time to be a SEAL and shut off his feelings! “How long have I been out?” His voice changed and a new more mechanical version took over, his soldier instincts had returned.

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Elise backed out of the room slowly. Ally ran her hands down her linen pants nervously. She sat down on the queen sized bed but didn't look Michael in the eye. She felt him change before her, he became colder and more distant almost instantly. He'd allowed his feelings to come spilling out but he was talking so fast Ally didn't really hear everything he said.

She finally looked at him, "It's been a week, Sven thought you weren't taking it slowly enough so he cauterized your wound and put you out. He just left yesterday for another fishing trip," she pointed at the door," that was his older sister Elise."

She was more relaxed outwardly but seeing him almost kill Elise had shaken her, although her adrenaline masked it.

Michael couldn't look at her right away, he had to bury these feelings deeper. She obviously didn't feel the same way about him. Besides, these kinds of feelings would just get in the way and put them both in danger. More of his training and knowledge was coming to the surface.

He looked in Ally's general direction. "Ordnung, is the German word cloest to okay. I'm sorry about Elsie, but I'm not sure what reaction you and Sven thought I'd have after knocking me out for a week and move me to a strange place. I thought you might have been in danger, Ally. I wasn't going to hurt her anyway, I just needed information."

He looked at her pale blue eyes and rubbed his chest where she had hit him. "You've gained some strength in a week, but we need to start working on teaching you how to really stop someone who wants to hurt you. I have to develop an escape route and back up route in case trouble finds us."

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Ally sighed as she considered what he said, she didn't want to go anywhere. This place was nice, Elise was the first friend she had in a very long time. It was her fear after all that put him in this position and she was feeling a little guilty about it but ultimately Sven had made the decision to keep Michael under for Ally's sake. She took a deep breath and plunged in, she'd have to start talking sometime, and now was as good as any.

"Michael, with your amnesia you're very unpredictable. You almost broke someone's arm when they were holding you back on the boat. Elise has children of her own, you can't threaten people when you want information. If you had just asked her, she would have told you I was here," she spoke to him softly and gently more words than he had probably ever heard her utter to date, combined. She didn't mean to sound like she was chastising him but it came out that way anyway and when Ally realized it she winced and looked down at her hands.

She picked at the pale blue and white quilt that was on the bed and wondered if she should tell him that she was still sleeping next to him every night. She shook her auburn hair and stood.

"I'll get you something small to eat and then you can shower if you want," she said softly before slipping out of the room to give him some time to think.

She stood in the small kitchen with tears in her eyes, pulling a few things out of the refrigerator to prepare him. It was her fault he was so disoriented and upset, she wanted to be stronger but she just couldn't, she didn't know how.

Elise hugged her and told her to keep the food simple since it was likely his stomach had shrunk from not eating real food for awhile. Ally leaned into the pretty petite blonde and apologized for Michael's behavior. Elise just smiled and said she would be back to check on him around dinner if Ally felt up to helping him until then. Ally sighed and said she did and Elise embarked on the short walk across the meadow to her own cottage.

Ally made him a plate of sliced cheese, a piece of crusty bread, and some leftover meat pie that had been dinner the night before. She soothed her nerves as she poured him a glass of water and put it all on a serving tray.

She took a deep breath and smoothed down the faded light green V neck t shirt she wore. It was hugging her body more snugly now that she had gained a little weight but Elise told her that she still needed to put on another 10lbs or so since Ally's ribs were still prominent under the pale skin of her torso. A new development was cleavage Ally hadn't had in years. Her small B cup was now approaching a full C. She felt like she was becoming a woman all over again.

She carried the tray into the bedroom and sat it on the table by the bed before grabbing the pillow next to Michael that she normally slept on and looking down at him. He was a large man, she imagined at his peak he was very formidable. The thought almost made her shudder, but she also felt comforted knowing a man such as this wanted to protect her at all costs. It was a strange dichotomy.

"Will you let me help you sit up?" Her silvery blue gaze tried to read his deep eyes but he had masked the tender caring Michael that had been there before. And after what she had seen him do twenty minutes ago she wasn't about to touch him without permission.

Michael listened to what Ally had to say and just bowed his head in shame. He watched her hands playing with the blanket and thought of her touching him on the boat. He knew deep inside that her’s had been the most caring touch he had experienced in a very long time. He was lost in thought when she said she was getting him food . Michael began to weep uncontrollably after the door closed, but he wasn’t sure why. “What the fuck is wrong with me!?” He said out loud.

Just then he started to remember the tan hands of a woman touching his face, he saw the flash of an engagement ring, and her smiles of joy. He saw her long gorgeous brown eyes and flowing black hair as she spoke, “Yes, Preston, I will marry you!” She pulled his face to hers for a kiss that led to hours of lovemaking. The room darkened and then he saw that same ringed hand and lifeless face laying in a coffin. Voices around his said things like “She was too young to die!” “Have they caught the guy who did this to her yet? He better hope the police find him before Preston does!"

Michael ignored all the voices and sympathy and was staring down at the face of his beautiful fiancee. He leaned over the casket to give Mary one last kiss goodbye before they closed the lid and buried her. “Goodbye, my love. I love you to the moon and back!” A single tear fell from his eyes and landed on her face and then the casket lid closed.

As he lay there reflecting on what it all meant with tears still welled up in his eyes, Ally came back in and asked to help him. He did his best to wipe away the tears and simply nodded at her for fear that if he spoke, she would hear the emotions in his voice. When he was sure that his voice was secure again. He looked at her. “Will you show me around after dinner? I don’t even know where the head is in here.” He started to eat the meal, Ally had prepared for him, but he couldn't taste anything. He starred in frustration at the plate. Even though he could smell the food, he couldn't taste anything. Michael knew that he needed the nutrition and calories, so he continued to eat the tasteless meal. “Is there a computer and internet available in the cabin, Ally?”

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

As Ally leaned towards him to help him sit upright she could see the tear streaks on his handsome face. She felt responsible for upsetting him but didn't know what to say. She slid the second pillow in behind his back, touching him gently.

Her hair almost brushed his face and she whispered, "I'm sorry Michael." so quietly she wasn't sure he had heard her.

She started folding some extra sheets that were in a chair in the corner, "Of course, i'll show you where everything is," she said as she put the freshly folded sheet into the dresser drawer.

When she turned around to face him again she couldn't read his expression. He was eating slowly but looked really angry about it. She decided to keep her distance and let him work through it so she sat down in the comfortable arm chair and watched him carefully. She also wanted to make sure if he wanted something she wouldn't be far away. When he asked about a computer she had to think for a minute before answering.

"Sven keeps a laptop here, Elise used it the other day to check her email. I don't know if he took it with him but I can go look for it if you want to use it," she had been curious to use it herself. It seemed like a familiar instrument to her and she had a feeling she was familiar with how to use it but it had been a very long time. Ally thought she remembered Sven putting the laptop away in the bench under the kitchen window before he left.

"Michael, I don't want to leave this place," she admitted, remembering how he said earlier that they needed an escape plan or something like that," I really like it here. I don't understand why you think there might be trouble."

She was openly contradicting Michael and it made her stomach turn over in knots. She was trained to never disobey and the penalty was heavy if she did. The desire to please and do what others wanted was still strong although Elise had been talking her through it and trying to give Ally more confidence in speaking her mind but it didn't stop her gut reactions completely.

Elise and Sven had started slow, giving Ally choices in what to eat and wear. Initially she had resisted and waited for Elise to tell her what to do but Elise circumvented that by giving her choices between two things and that had gone much better and easier for Ally once she accepted that there was no right or wrong answer to the options she was given. After a few days she had started picking her own clothes of her own accord, showering when she wanted to, and spending time outside alone when she felt the need for some space. Sven had walked her to Elise's cottage and let her feed the chickens and their antics had made Ally smile for the first time since they had met her. She had even gotten brave enough to hug him tentatively when he left for his next trip.

Ally kept her eyes down as she waited for Michael to respond, she was afraid he would be angry at her. He seemed prone to these outbursts and she wondered if it was his personality or perhaps something else driving the reactions, she just didn't know what it could be. His head injury had healed just fine, she didn't think it could be that.

Michael felt Ally’s breath on his neck, her hair lightly stroke his cheek, part of him wanted to pull her in bed with him and show her how he felt about her. He knew she was too fragile for that and besides, he had to get these feelings in check! He had kept those kinds of feeling buried since he lost Mary in 2011.

Ally’s soft apology was almost inaudible, but Michael realized she must think that he was crying over her. It took him a minute to gather his composure again and she told him about the laptop and asked about their escape plan. He cleared his swallowed the tasteless bite he had in his mouth and took a drink of what he assumed was water.

“Ally, you have nothing to be sorry about! I’m the one who took things too far on the boat and got myself hurt again. I’m the one who had an emotional outburst and held a knife to a helpless woman’s throat. It’s all my fault and I can’t figure out why my emotions are so out of check.” He saw her drawn up like he might fly out of the bed and beat her.

“Ally, no matter what is wrong with me, I will never hurt you! I know that my mission was to rescue you from those piece of shit, assholes who had you on a very expensive yacht, that I blew all to hell, if that guy or his boss figures out we are still alive, they will come looking for us and we will have to leave this place. I have to have a plan for that contingency, it’s part of my training that is coming back to me. About those tears, I remembered losing someone that was very important to me and I don’t seem to be able to manage my emotions right now, which sucks almost as much as not being able to taste anything on this plate or this drink that I assume is water, because I can’t taste it either.” He pushed the tray away and got out of bed, still feeling a bit dizzy, but knowing he had to get back into shape and get prepared.

He sniffed at his armpit and looked at Ally. “A week knock out, huh? I should reek to high heaven, but I don’t? Who do I have to thank for cleaning me up and taking care of me again? You, I’m sure! Thank you, Ally for putting up with this big dumb SEAL. I hope I can repay you for all your kindness one of these days, I am sure none of this has been easy on you! Now, if you will show me where the bathroom is, I would love to take a long hot shower. Then we can figure out Sven’s laptop.” Michael started to walk toward the door, but staggered towards the dresser. He sheepishly looked down at her “I guess I don’t have my land legs, just yet. Would it be too much to ask of you to stand by the bathroom door, in case I bust my head open. I’m sorry to be such a pain in your ass, Ally!”

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Ally wasn't sure she understood everything he said. She pieced together that someone had actually hired him to rescue her but that didn't make sense, surely her family thought she was dead by now. They wouldn't have, she furrowed her eyebrows together in thought. None of this made any sense.

Michael got up before she could stop him and almost fell against the dresser. She got up from the chair.

"Wait, let me get the fluids. Elise said you need to be on them for another 24 hours after you wake up," Ally ducked under his arm and took the bag and hook off the corner of the headboard where it was secured. She gathered the slack up gently and went back to Michael's side. before turning off the tiny valve and detaching it from the needle in his hand.
"Let me wrap it so it doesn't get wet, then you can shower," she told him.

In another minute he was ready. She stood on his good side and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. As Ally led him to the bathroom next door she realized just how massive his body was compared to her own lithe frame. He had to be at least 6'2" and 210lbs of muscle. He dwarfed her 5'8" frame and must have outweighed her by 100lbs if not a little more.

He leaned against the sink as she started the water for him, she let it run over her hand until it felt hot enough. An awkward question entered her mind and she wasn't sure she could even bring herself to ask but she was the only one here to help him if he needed it. She swallowed hard and blushed lightly as she turned to him.

"Do you need help getting your shirt over your shoulder? It's probably still pretty tender on the inside, you might mot be able to lift it over your head," she explained it logically but her body was already reacting to the thought of him this close to her missing his clothes. Half of her wanted to get the hell out of the cramped space and the other half wanted to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself by pushing his injury too far too fast.

It would be require contact that she'd never had willingly before, and a hell of a lot of nerve.

Michael felt the tug of the IV line as he fell, followed by Ally scooping him up. She wasn’t the same gaunt little creature that he had rescued from the yacht not so long ago. When she reached back to get the fluids, her new curves pressed against him. He fought to push the thoughts from his head. “Thanks for being here for me, again!” He watched her wrap the IV site, noting the confidence in her movements, Elise had really been good for her.

Her body pressed against him as she helped him to the bathroom. Michael leaned against the sink looking at his bearded face in the mirror. Something about his tattoo caught his eye, there was a set of numbers visible only visible in handle of the Triton of his SEAL tattoo. He tried to remember what they meant, but it wasn’t coming to him. Ally’s question pulled him back. “Oh, shit, I didn’t think about that! If you want to wait and have Elise help me later, it’s okay. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Michael steadied himself and looked back into the mirror.

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Ally paused and thought it over before replying,"Elise won't be back until later and we already got you in here so you might as well just shower and clean up."

She waited for him to turn around, she didn't want to reach out and startle him or send him over the edge. Her body wasat war with her mind. It had been a month since a man had touched her sexually and although she didnt mind that her body seemed to have other ideas about Michael. Her mind was resisting hard, feeding her flashbacks of all the abuse she'd suffered. She tore her eyes away from his broad shoulders and looked down.

Michael could see her reflection in the mirror. He swore he saw a blush in Ally’s cheeks and were her nipples poking through her shirt. Just your imagination, stop, she doesn’t think of you that way, you’re being an idiot! He said to himself. “I guess you’re right, Ally. Let’s go ahead and get this done.” He sat down on the toilet so that she could reach his shirt. He knew this meant very close contact between them and he was fighting with himself to remain in control. He raised his arm and waited for her to step in close to help him.

He felt a stirring in his pants as he smelled her sweet scents approaching. Knowing that her flesh would be touching his soon didn’t help the growing situation. Michael shifted his weight and hoped Ally wouldn't notice. How would he make through this?! Why did he feel this way about her already? These emotions had been turned off when Mary was murdered...

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

"Good arm first," she said gently as her fingers touched his elbow. He obliged her and she closed her hand around the hem of the shirt, brushing against his hip as she did. Ally kept her breathing even and her eyes down away from his. After his good arm was free half his torso was visible, within inches of her. His familiar warmth washed over her, she noticed he always seemed to be warm. Her palm glided across the top of his shoulder as she pulled the shirt over his head. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. She was incredibly close to him and if her body had its way she would have been in his lap already.

Ally looked up slightly as his face came back into view and her eyes locked on his briefly. The deepness of them threatened to draw her in and her mind riled against it. It took everything she had to stay firmly in control, she straightened up away from him.

"I think you can handle it from here," her voice was shaky,"i'll be right outside if you need anything."

She backed out of the doorway pulling it almost closed behind her. She hugged herself and tried to calm down.

Michael Took a deep breath as she approached, her hands made contact with him and he shuddered just a bit. He felt her hair brush across his cheek as she leaned forward to grab the bottom of his shirt. The warmth of her breath penetrated his shirt against his nipple and he felt himself stirring even more. When her hip brushed against his his, all he could picture was spinning her and pressing himself against her beautiful blossoming bottom.

He left out a soft sigh when her hand stroked his shoulder, it took every ounce of control not to pull her to him when to him and kiss her like he wanted to way deep inside. The Ally’s eyes locked on his, he could see the desire in her eyes, the want, the need for love and then it was gone. She left the room and left him sitting there, very aroused and feeling things he hadn’t since… Mary.

Michael finished taking off his shirt and managed to get his pants and underwear off with minimal effort, despite his very erect penis . He stood up and made his way to the shower and stepped inside, letting the hot water cascade over his sore body. He took the washcloth and began to scrub as best as he could. When the warm soapy cloth encircled his penis, he let out another soft moan. He was sudden lost in a memory.

Mary was in the shower with him and giggled as he pressed himself against her backside as she finished washed her long black hair. “Preston, stop that! We have to be at my parents’ house in 45 minutes. How are you still ready for more, when we just finished making love for the last two hours? Aren’t you afraid you’ll get tired of me?” She laughed and pushed back against him. Preston wrapped his arms around her, moved her silky black hair away from her neck and kissed the back of her ear. “I could never get enough of you, even if we made love 3 times a day until we were one hundred years old! I’ve never felt this way before, Mary. I love you.”

She turned and and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you too, Preston and I can’t get enough of you either. Though I don’t think we’ll make it to 100 if you insist on making love that many times, everyday!” She leaned in closer and kissed his mouth and then worked her way down his body. Just when she had him in her mouth, a familiar irritating noise broke the moment, Preston’s pager went off. “Damn it! Talk about bad timing guys!” Mary stood back up and kissed him as he stepped out of the shower.

“Preston, be careful, please! I’ll tell mom and dad that you said hello.”She did her best to smile, but the disappointment was audible. He pressed his lips to hers. “Only two more months until my leave and our honeymoon, Mary! Just keep that in mind. Mrs. Mary Anne Michael… I like the like the sound of the MAM.” He laughed and got dressed.

She stood by the door with a fake pout on her face. He walked up to her and playful bite her bottom lip, before hugging her and kissing her goodbye. “I’ll try to make it back before the wedding, but no promises.” He laughed and hugged her tighter. “I love you!” Mary fought to release him. “The President can’t have you, Preston. You’re all mine!” She kissed him one more time. “I love you, Preston Allen Michael! Get your sexy ass back to me ass soon as you can.”

Preston got to the stairs and jogged down the 15 flights of stairs and walked out to his Jeep. As he left the parking lot, he was almost hit by a florist van pulling in. He gave the driver a hard stare and took off for base and was swept off for a short overnight mission. Michael couldn’t remember the mission, but remembered getting back and turning on his phone…

There were six voicemails and two text messages on his phone. He scanned the messages first. The first was the usual “Be Careful!” message from Mary and another “Thanks for the flowers!” He was confused for a moment because he hadn’t sent her any. He listened to the voicemails. The first one was Mary’s parents asking playfully if they had forgotten to come over. The next was them asking one of them to call, followed by another with a bit of irritation in her father’s voice. A panicking mother followed. Michael’s heart sank as he listened to the next message. A cold, numb sounding father simply said, Preston, they found Mary raped and murdered in your apartment. The last message was a Detective Johnson asking Preston to call him as soon as his got the message. He sat back down in the chair in front of his gear locker and just stared.

When he regained his composure, he called the detective’s number and was asked to come downtown. The drive there was made in autopilot and the next thing he knew, he was sitting at a table being asked about the flower text he had received from Mary. He gave them a description of driver and then demanded to see Mary. He remember them pulling back the sheet and revealing her slashed throat and bruises and cuts on her beautiful body.

Michael felt his knees buckle, followed by a loud thud. He was back in the present kneeling in the shower, staring blankly at the wall as silent tears leaked from his eyes.

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Ally had just about gotten her breathing under control and started to relax when she heard Michael fall.

“Shit,” she spat.

She flew into the bathroom and through the curtain saw him about to go all the way down, at least she thought so. If he ended up on the floor she wouldn’t be able to get him up by herself. The shower stall was small but she pulled back the curtain and kneeled to put her arm across his chest trying to keep him from hitting his head against the wall. The last thing he needed was another head injury after the last one had just finished healing. The hot water soaked her shirt instantly and the water on the tile floor soaked right through the knees of her linen pants. She reached up with her free hand and turned the water off.

“Michael, are you with me?” her voice was shaking, she was scared and some caring instinct had kicked in making her ignore the fact that he was naked and her clothes were soaked and sticking to her skin. She was pressed almost fully against his side as she supported as much of his weight as she could. She was about to panic and her breathing was quickening. It happened so fast she didn’t think of anything but protecting him from hurting himself. When it hit her that he was conscious she used all her body weight to help him stand and lean against the back wall.

It was only then that his nakedness and closeness overwhelmed her. She was soaking wet and her body was pressed fully against his chest and torso and his erection was pressed against her stomach.

She drew back from him, terrified of what she had done and the over stimulation of being in such an intimate situation with someone else. Her eyes went wide and she ran out panicking. She paced the living room but the open space made her feel insecure and exposed. She needed to be closed in, safe. She needed to be away from him. She dashed out the front door and looked around frantically trying to find a hiding place.

There was a shed against the tree line and she ran for it, she was surprisingly swift even barefoot. The long grass was soft against her soles. She shut herself in and looked for something, anything. She had seen what he had almost done to Elise, Ally knew she was no match for him. He could easily overpower her. The small shed was littered with various small tools used for keeping up the property. And then she saw a long thick blade, slightly tapered at the end, she had a vision of a man using it to fell small saplings and brush. She picked it up and held it tightly. Michael would follow her, and there was no telling what he would do to her. She would never go back to a slave’s life. Never. This time, she would fight. Her panic clouded her mind and she shifted from one foot to the other, preparing for whatever was about to happen.

Michael heard Ally’s voice and started to come back from the vision, she was in the shower with him, her clothes soaked to the bone and her body was pressed against him. The cloud was lifting slowly as he leaned against her and the wall. She was pressed back against the corner.

He looked down at her and saw the curves of her breast and her areolas and nipples in full view. The words were not coming, he could feel his still himself pressed up against her belly. The thin pants left nothing to the imagination, Michael could see Ally’s sex through the material. He struggled to talk, but before the words came, her eyes grew wide and all sense and logic disappeared from her eyes.

Michael’s abilities were slowly returning as he leaned against the wall. Ally was gone and he couldn’t do anything about it. He looked down and remained erect, nothing seemed to be changing that status. Why?! He was growing frustrated with his inability to control his body.

After gaining more control, Michael made staggered out of the shower and pulled his pants up over his wet flesh. He had just enough movement with his shoulder to fasten them and follow the wet footsteps through the unfamiliar house. As he walked, his head was clearing and he clicked back into SEAL mode. He noticed the long pattern of drips in the livingroom and then followed her trail out the door. He stepped out into the fresh air for the first time since he had rescued Ally. The sun’s brightness blinded him for a minute and seemed more powerful than before. He scanned the property for possible hiding spots, but there were several spots where she could have gone, so Michael turned his attention to the ground.

A faint footprint in the grass was just visible and Michael began to follow the set. His training kicked in completely, he could that Ally was running by the distance between the prints in the grass. Michael tracked her to a little shed on the edge of the trees. He listened for movement inside the shed and scanned door. He knocked on the door softly. “All, are you in there. I’m here to make sure you are alright. I know you're scared and frankly, I am too. I don’t fully understand what’s going on with me right now. I think that the concussion is having bad effects of me, like passing out and problems like I haven’t had since high school math class. I need you Ally, I can’t do this on my own anymore. I’m sorry about making you have to come in and see me like that. I can’t even imagine the hell you must have been put through for the last 7 years, but I only want to protect you and return you to your parents…”

Michael stopped and contemplated where that knowledge had come from.

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Michael was outside the door, she could have kicked herself for running into somewhere with no exit. She was still panicking, holding the machete tightly in her right hand. She wanted to tell him to leave her alone and go back home. She would stay here with Elise. But then he said he was supposed to take her back to her parents.

Her parents.

It hit her like a hard kick to the gut; how could they want her back, she didn’t even remember their faces. She often thought she had a sibling, a sister maybe. God, how different she would be now. How different they all would be, how different she was. She felt like she could never live a normal life again. How did he know her parents, how did he know how long she had been gone?

Her mind spun. She was torn between hiding and trusting him. She looked down at herself; her wet clothes had started drying in the heat of the July afternoon. Her shirt was smeared with dirt from the shed, her feet her filthy, and the wet tendrils of her hair were curling up on their own.

“Get away from here Michael,” she managed to choke it out, and regretted it. She couldn’t go back. She didn’t know those people anymore, and they didn’t know her either. They wouldn’t want her if they knew how damaged she was.

The realization of what she was doing started to bear down on her heart. And she couldn’t take it, she broke. She threw the machete against the wall where it clattered against other tools as it fell. She sunk to her knees sobbing uncontrollably. All those years of torment, captivity, starvation, abuse, rape; she let it all out of her. She pounded her fists against the dirt floor. How could this happen to her? How could her parents not rescue her sooner? The damage already inflicted could never be undone, she would never be herself again she thought. Ally was alternately terrified of being alone and terrified to be with Michael. Why couldn’t her body and mind agree?

She couldn’t breathe she was crying so hard. Her body was shaking and she wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth on her knees, her forehead almost touching the dirt floor as she screamed out in internal pain and misery. The door slowly creaked as it swung open, streaming sunlight into the shed and over her as she bowed down. She looked up and took a ragged breath, the hot tears streamed freely down her beautiful face while her soul felt like it was torn in two.

Michael leaned against the small barn as he waited for Ally to reply. He concentrated very hard and thought back to Ally’s parents. He saw a man in an Army uniform talking to him about requiring his services to find a long lost daughter. They had just been forced declared her “legally dead” after 7 years of looking everywhere for her. A month or so after they held her funeral, He received a report of someone setting off the facial recognition software at Castlebridge Airport near Wexford, Ireland.

Michael remembered reading the report. The women in question was off loaded from a small private jet and was only seen by the camera because the scarf over her face had blown off as they passed the security camera at the small airport. He closed the file and looked at the weeping red headed woman sitting beside her husband. “I’ll find her for you.” He landed in Dublin Airport the next morning for and rented a car to drive down to Wexford to interview security guard. He was shaken from the memory by the Ally’s shaky voice telling him to go away.

Even if he wanted to, Michael simply couldn’t leave her, he had nowhere else to go. He contemplated what to say to her but before he could say anything, the sound of metal hitting the wood and metal tools shattered the silence. Nothing could prepare him for the sound that followed; Ally’s sobbing shook him to his very core, but then came the screams. The combination of years of pain and anger pouring from her body and penetrated the air.

He had to go to her, even if it meant she might reject and hate him. Michael opened the door slowly and carefully walked over to where Ally was lying on the floor. He knelt down on one knee in front of her and lightly touched her shoulder. “I’m here for you Ally and I won’t go anywhere without you. I need you as much as you need me.”

Ally’s looked up at him with tears stained eyes, her hair and clothing were a mess, but she had never looked so beautiful. He reached out and pulled her to him and just held her in his arms without saying another word.

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Ally was trembling and shaking violently against him. She put one arm around his neck and buried her face against his good shoulder. Her other arm snaked around his bare torso. She had put up roadblocks and dead ends every time he wanted to comfort her but this time she didn’t have the energy or desire. She just let him and she surprisingly started to feel better after a few minutes. He was here for her, no matter how difficult she was to care for, he wasn’t leaving her alone to deal with this. They were on the same team. The acceptance of it made her relax against him and calmed her mind.

She felt weakened by all of the emotions that bombarded her and she was tired. But now she needed a shower.

“Lets go back to the cabin,” she whispered against his shoulder. She pulled back and helped him stand, stumbling back weakly against a support beam behind her. She felt lightheaded, she hadn’t eaten lately and her body wasn’t as strong as she had thought it was.

Michael just held her as she finished crying against his naked shoulder. After a few minutes her breathing changed and the tension that had been in her body from the moment he picked her up in the cabin of the yacht was gone. Ally yielded to his touch and melted into him. He got lost in their moment together, nothing else mattered for a brief period of time. It was just the two of them, just holding each other.

Ally was the first to break their silence. her hot breath against his shoulder made him shudder slightly. When he reached his feet, with Ally’s help he looked down at her. Her face went pale and she was suddenly covered with a thin layer of sweat and staggered backwards. Michael put his arm around her. “You’re blood sugar must be low, Ally hold on to me and well get you some juice when we get back to the house.”

They walked across the soft grass back to the house with his arm around her waist. Michael took in his surroundings as they walked back. The large grassy area was flanked with a small line of trees scattered with granite boulders popping out of the earth. To the right of the cabin there was a path that lead out into the thick undergrowth. In front of the cabin he noted the wooden stairs built on the pink granite cliff that led down to Sven’s private boat dock. He would have to pace them all off tomorrow and take note of places to hide weapons in case of the need for escape.

When they entered the cabin, Michael help Ally sit in a chair at the table and went to see what he could get her to drink right away. He retrieved a container of orange juice and poured her a glass. “Drink this, it will make you feel better! We need to talk later, but right now drink the juice and I will go run you a bath, assuming this place has one. You probably want to get cleaned up and I since you're still wobbly, a shower by yourself is out of the question.”

Michael could see her color getting better as she finished the first glass, but he didn’t want to take a chance, so he poured her a second glass and set off to find the bathtub. He found a claw-footed bath tub in the downstairs bathroom. He began running the water and
added some bath salts that he found next to the tub. There were two candles on either side of the tub, so he lit them for Ally.

He returned back to the kitchen, memorizing the amount of step it took to get back to the front door. He looked at Ally, who was just finishing her second glass of juice. “You look so much better, Ally. How are you feeling, now? While you're bathing and relaxing, I’ll see what I can whip up in the kitchen.” He stood up and offered her his hand.

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask

Ally let Michael take her back to the cabin, his arm around her was supportive and protective. He sat her in a comfortable chair and she drank the first glass of juice easily. The second was harder and took longer. She didn’t eat very much at one time but Elise had gotten her to eat 5 or 6 times a day to help her gain weight. By the time the glass was empty again she felt full.

Ally tentatively took his hand, “I feel okay I guess,” she told him quietly as she set the empty glass on the table and he helped her up.

She went to the bathroom and she saw the tub and candles. She wasn’t sure why he’d lit them, there was plenty of light but she shrugged it off and didn’t ask. She stripped off her dirty clothes and stepped into the water. It was very warm and she sank down into it contentedly. She hadn’t taken a bath since she had been here, only showers but she decided she liked it. She yawned a little bit and dunked her hair into the water to wash it before scrubbing her own body slowly. She started recalling how Michael’s body felt as he held her in the shed. His strong shoulders had covered her almost completely, protecting her. In that moment she realized she had never actually thanked him for saving her life. She owed him everything, otherwise she….well she didn’t want to think about where she would be if he hadn’t.

Ally recalled how Michael’s hands were always gentle with her and she started wondering how he would be as a lover. At first she felt embarrassed to be having thoughts like that but she couldn’t help it. Her body started feeling warm and her womanly parts responded by lubricating, she yanked herself out of the daydream and shook her head. There was a part of her that knew sex could be pleasurable, but she had never experienced it and she didn’t have any idea how the relationship between love and sex functioned normally. Maybe she would ask Elise how dating worked, or what it felt like to fall in love. She tried hard to remember if she had ever had a boyfriend before she was taken but nothing specific came to mind. She remembered walking hand in hand with a boy near the water but she couldn’t remember his face.

She leaned back against the back of the tub and pulled the plug on the tub. It drained about halfway and then she plugged it back up and turned on the hot water again to refill it. She felt like soaking for longer and she watched the flame on one of the candles intently, focusing on it hard as she lay against the back of the tub in the hot water.

Ally didn’t mean to, but she fell asleep. She was lost in her dreams. The flame on the candle recalled a long lost memory of a winter morning. Her father was lighting a fire in the fireplace as she came down the staircase. There was a Christmas tree in the corner lit up with beautiful white lights and silver ornaments that sparkled and twinkled in the reflecting fire. She smiled at him, he turned around and welcomed her, but his face was a blur. Every time she tried to focus on his features she found she couldn’t look directly at him. She hugged him happily and they walked hand in hand to the gleaming white kitchen, he handed her a mug of hot chocolate and there was something delicious cooking on the stove.

Ally heard her name, but she didn’t want to wake up. She wanted to know what her father looked like!

Michael left Ally and headed to the kitchen to look for something to cook. He was initially worried about cooking, but once he got in the kitchen, his instinct took over. He found some ground elk, potatoes, mushrooms and carrots and prepare a hash dish for them. Once it was done, he looked for a beverage to go with his dish, but all he could find was a traditional sweet apple cider, so he poured them both a glass and set the table. Fresh flowers from the garden were already sitting out on the table completing the setting.

He realized that Ally wouldn’t have anything to wear once she was done with her bath, so he headed upstairs, but realized that he didn’t know where her clothes were. He found a large terry cloth bathrobe for her to wear out of the bathroom. He did manage to get a buttoned down shirt on, but couldn’t get it buttoned with only one hand. He left it untucked and unbuttoned and went downstairs to check on her.

He didn’t hear any noises coming from the bathroom, so he knocked on the door. “Ally, are you alright in there? Ally, I brought you a bathrobe to put on. Dinner is ready. I’ll just put the robe on the bed and wait for you to come out.” After hearing her response, Michael left the bedroom door and returned to the living room.

He found Sven’s laptop where Ally had described and sat down in the large recliner by the fire. He opened the case, turned on the machine, signed on to Google and looked blankly at the screen for a minute. He tried to remember where he needed to go, but no amount of coaxing would make the information return to his brain.

Finally, Michael just closed his eyes and felt the keys beneath his fingertips and just let them go. When he opened his eyes, he had signed into a Swiss Interbank Clearing account. As he looked at the blank account number entry he remembered the number hidden in his tattoo. He typed in the number and hit enter. The screen moved forward and asked for a password. Michael thought for a moment and then typed “MAM052268” and hit enter. The account opened with his name at the top and an account balance of $776,954.19 displayed on the bottom of the page.

They would need to venture into town soon and get some of his money to make sure they could pay Sven back and have some emergency cash on-hand. For now, he logged off and watched Ally enter the room.

__________________Nice guy with enough bad inside to keep you entertained.
Life's too short and The only answer to a question never asked is 'No.' So take a chance and ask